


Ashes in the Wind

by Planetarial



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Bromance, Canon Divergence, Drama, Friendship, Gen, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:16:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24882169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Planetarial/pseuds/Planetarial
Summary: Asch is given a second chance at life, but what will he make of it?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Ashes in the Wind

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers, obviously. Warnings may be added in the future, and if so I will try to warn in advance and use appropriate tags if necessary,
> 
> Post Game Divergence where Asch and Luke are revived as separate individuals. Surprisingly for those who read my other stuff, this will not contain romance and focus instead on just friendships and gen. Though you are certainly free to read between the lines.
> 
> This is my first serious attempt in a very long time at a long multi chapter fanfic. I hope I can finish it but I’m not going to make any serious promises. All critique is welcomed openly.

The gentle sea breeze blew past Asch as he walked the streets of Malkuth. A sun hung up in the middle of the sky, its rays making his hair lighter in tone, the crimson color bearing an even more striking appearance to the one who was deemed superior than him. His wandering around the capital was without a clear goal, but the movements deliberate and precise with purpose to appear otherwise.

At last he came to stop near one of the bar areas, one that was welcoming and friendly and its drinks heavy and rich with flavor and prices. He did not fancy himself a drinker, but the town’s whispers and stories floated around the area. Here the upper class amused themselves with gossip, whether fact or fiction and it was a good chance to catch the movements and rumors of the city.

Before he could approach the doorstep of the establishment, a man staggered out of the bar, his scent reeked of alcohol and Asch wrinkled his nose. He quickly looked away, not wanting to meddle with those who consume themselves into an idiotic stupor.

But his notions to ignore the drunkard were pushed away when the man confidently put one hand on his shoulder and exposed a toothy grin at him. “Oh Luuuke! It’s soo good to seee you! I can’t belieeeve you’re alive!” His speech slurred and slowed down, the alcohol inhibiting his words.

In a near instant he shrugged off the man with an almost violent intensity. Asch wanted to growl at those words and throw back an icy glare at being mistaken for the one man he couldn’t stand to be around.

“I’m not Luke.” He spoke back, taking a few steps back and resisting the urge to yell back for having a sore spot within his mind disturbed. “Go home before you pass out on the street.” He ordered back to the stranger, whose eyes were wide with shock.

“W-What, but you just look like the duke’s son and all-“

“I told you already, just get out of here.” He seethed, his voice rising up in volume as his patience was drawing thin. That cold presence seemed to have done the trick, as the drunkard had stumbled away, unwilling to press on further now that he had angered royalty.

“Asch!” A male voice called out from the street corner and a spot of blonde hair peeked out from behind the building to reveal a familiar face. He knew that kind of dialogue could only come from one particular person. Asch wasn’t so pleased to meet with him, his expression unchanging, and crossed his arms upon recognizing who the other guy was.

“Hmph. Well, if it isn’t Luke’s servant.” A snide remark came forth, attempting to create some friction between the two.

“Hey come on, you know I haven’t been serving under him for years now.” Guy sighed, recalling what the situation was like for the two of them while they were gone. “Though I guess for you it’s only felt like months.”

“Whatever.” Asch walked away, his red locks of hair streaming through the wind that had picked up some speed just now. The conversation (had been) dropped as soon as it began as he had no interest in continuing it. Guy however, wasn’t so easy to end things right there.

“Wait Asch.” Guy trotted up in front of him, blocking his pathway with his body and unwilling to move. “What brings you all the way from Baticul? You here to see the Emperor or something?” One eyebrow raised, curious as to what his intentions were. If Asch did request an audience, why just him alone? Sure, he almost always worked alone in the past, but the situation had changed.

“It doesn’t concern you.” Asch huffed out, unwilling to diverge any information about his reasoning. “Let me be.” He sidestepped Guy without a second thought, as if prying him off from disturbing him further.

Guy exhaled softly, shrugging his shoulders as he watched Asch continue to walk down the paved streets into the commercial areas. Whatever it was, it looked like he wasn’t going to wrangle out an answer from him now. Best to let him be for a while and let him cool off as he knew how deep it cut him to be mistaken for the other.

“Oh well, guess I’ll ask Emperor Peony some time what’s up.” Rubbing the back of his head, he turned around and walked in the other direction.

~~~

_One Month Later_

One of the more common trades and transportation for Grand Chokmah was sea travel. As a port and the capital of Malkuth, boats constantly came in and out from the capital every single day. Fishers packed with fresh catches of fish and crustaceans, ships for travel, pleasure, or trade departed and arrived in the dozens nearly every day. Not far from the port itself, many merchants set up shop to sell the bouts of seafood or imported goods to make a respectable amount of gald.

As usual one of the morning boats was leaving the harbor. (It was) a large ship, carrying a group of passengers, had left the port mere moments ago and Asch by chance, stopped by to watch it take off. He had just walked by after doing his daily morning routine and hadn’t come across anything else more pressing to do.

One of the passengers was that of a young boy, couldn’t have been older than 6-7 years of age, standing on the edge of the stern, waving out to those who were watching him with joy.

Then a strong gust of wind kicked up. The force made the boy topple over and into the murky waters below. The people on the boat and in the harbor gasped, the boy’s head poking out beneath the waves but clearly struggling to stay afloat in the rough sea.

As if being controlled by some raw primitive instinct, Asch ran across the nearest dock and dove straight into the sea without a second thought, after the child whose panicked hasty movements were unable to keep him afloat, his body sinking into the watery depths. He swam up to where the kid was and dipped his head beneath the surface, spotting the child’s pale arms still flailing about. He reached over to grab an arm and yanked the boy up with all his might as he resurfaced. A crowd of travelers from the boat and onlookers from the dock had gathered from different sides around them and cheered when the two of them came back up, while a few individuals rushed out to the dock where Asch took his dive.

He dragged the child back to the dock, a knight assisting him with hoisting the boy up to dry land and another one helping Asch up by offering to pull him out. Now out of the water and sitting on the dry wooden dock, Asch heaved out his next few breaths as he watched them take the child away. He then took both hands and squeezed his dripping hair out of the nasty seawater that accumulated there, his body soaked and his clothes feeling heavy with the water they absorbed. The taste of salt flooded his mouth and nostrils, now that the immediate dangers had ceased. When he stood up again, he threw a glance over at the child, who was now in the care of medical professionals on duty.

As he walked back to join the crowd, people parted in front of him to allow the savior some space to move around. A few concerned individuals even asked about his own health, to which Asch merely shrugged them off.

“I’m fine, see to it that the kid gets taken care of first.” He retorted. But there was one individual who kept pushing his way past the crowd, following Asch as he was attempting to leave the port itself.

“Asch?” Guy spoke up, jogging up so that he was just behind the other man now.

“You again?” Asch scoffed. Of course he all of people would take notice.

“Hey that was pretty awesome what you did back there, I’m sure the little guy is really grateful that you saved his life.” Guy smiled, offering a kind gesture despite Asch’s cold response.

“I was just doing what was right. Anyone would have done it.” Asch started to walk away, his clothes still continuing to drip trails of water behind him.

“Wait a minute, where are you going?” Guy asked.

“Back to my hotel, where else?” Asch could have rolled his eyes at that comment. He was completely wet and the unclean seawater felt uncomfortable, there wasn’t any other choice in the matter. Or...

“Why don’t you come over to my place and dry off? It’s not far from here.” Guy offered, jogging right up to meet him and walk along with his pace.

“I can walk to the hotel just fine.” Seriously, it wasn’t that far from the port.

“You look miserable in those wet clothes, come on.” Guy wasn’t going to let up with his suggestion as easily as Asch had hoped.

Asch growled, finally choosing to accept Guy’s request. “Fine, I’ll come. Show me the way.” He stopped walking, waiting for Guy to catch up to him and show the way to his manor.

Hearing that instantly made Guy perk up, his smile now bright as the afternoon sun. “Follow me, I’ll make it worth your while.

~~~

_“Unbelievable. The two show no signs of abnormalities now.” Jade spoke, reading the results of the examination off a clipboard he held with one hand. Even a man like him was thrown off by what the data and tests had shown._

_“Are you serious Jade? That’s amazing!” Luke’s eyes widened, his whole body relaxed on the hospital bed as he felt an oppressive weight being lifted off him. The others that had gathered around him and Asch were also equally in awe of the results. A small gasp coming from Natalia. A grin spreading across Guys face. Tear’s eyes appeared watery as she fastened her fingers tighter around Luke’s hand, the ends of his grown out mane resting at the top of her palm._

_“It is nothing short of miraculous. At best, I would have not expected either of them to come back together like this because of some of the documented side effects.”_

_“What do you mean by that Colonel?” Tear asked, desiring to know more, glancing over at the two of them. She still couldn’t believe that the two of them came back in one piece._

_“The Contamination Effect. With Asch deceased and them being perfect isofons with their fonons separating, they would have at best dissipated into one another and became one with the planet storm. In no way should they be standing here before us, especially after all this time.”_

_“So what’s going to happen now? Is everything going to be okay with the two of us?” Luke questioned, his free hand gripping the bottom of the cold examination table he and Asch sat on._

_“Well we can’t be a hundred percent certain of a complete recovery. You two are an anomaly on top of an anomaly. It’s already a miracle that your fonons didn’t separate and cause immediate death after the Tower of Rem.” Jade sighed, exasperated. “And now that we have two ghosts walking alongside us.”_

_“I’m not a ghost!” Asch retorted, his body lurching forward in contrast to Luke who was laid up against the white wall._

_“Sorry, but for someone who has already died once, a ghost seems like the most apt description for your case. Or would you prefer apparition or maybe a phantom?”_

_Asch’s face tightened as his anger started to boil over again, that is until Luke was quick to interject in-between the two of them before something truly heated would spark._

_“Asch calm down.” Luke told him, his eyes glancing over at the group and back to Jade. “What do we do now? We can’t just wait for something to happen. Are you going to test us more?”_

_“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to poke and prick at you two like an experiment.” Jade laid the clipboard on a nearby table, his mind already memorizing the results. “But do be aware that both of you are in quite an unusual situation here and uncharted territory. You could live out the rest of your life like normal or you’ll be dead in a few months, isn’t that a pleasant thought?”_

_“Damn it, this isn’t something to joke about.” Asch’s teeth clenched, irritated at just how this man could act so lighthearted regarding their lives. “Just tell me what we should do without your idiotic sarcasm in it.”_

_“My my, I was simply reiterating the truth Asch.” Jade lightly chided at him, still intent on keeping his usual tone. “But if you wish to know my opinion, I would go to the doctor every now and then, just to check up and see if the fonons within you are acting normally. Otherwise there’s not much else to go on until something happens.”_

_“Asch...” Natalia gripped both her hands tighter around Asch’s own, and he responded in kind with his own strong hold. “I’m so glad you can stay here, with me.”_

_“Yeah...better than when I was stuck to this dreck.” Asch snarked, still unable to hold back the lingering bile he had towards his replica._

_“Hey!”_

~~~

House Gardios was not quite as grand as some of the mansions Asch once partook in, but it was a far cry from the average living space. It was gated, nestled in one of the nicer communities of the capital, and featured architecture reminiscent of Hod and noble families. All just to house the last living member of their family. Inside, he was escorted into one of the guest rooms by the servants, their expressions curious as to why their master’s guest was soaked to the bone, still dripping as he made his way into the chambers. The room was practically spotless, as if not a single person had ever lived in it once. It had its own private shower, a set of silk robes and slippers set out for him to wear, and a basket to lay down his wet clothes so that they may be washed and hung out to dry outside.

Meanwhile, Guy awaited him to return, practicing his sword moves against training dummies in the sizable courtyard in the back, honing his inherited Siegmund style. While he did his routine, he thought about Asch as he whacked his blade against the well worn wood. Why did he come here, seemingly alone and staying for such a long period of time, he wondered? Kimlasca had its own set of problems to contend with even at a time of peace, shouldn’t he be focusing his efforts there? He knew Asch vastly preferred to be able to work on his own, only using others out of necessity, but surely the king would have entrusted someone to aid him.

“You’re being too stiff with your sword swings.” A voice called out from the doorway, criticizing his movements and causing Guy to whiff his next strike from surprise mid strike.

Guy’s attention darted behind him to see Asch, now clothed in only a white robe and some matching shorts, his hair dry and pulled back into a single long ponytail that hung over the front of his shoulders in a tight band.

“Did you find everything okay? I hope the servants weren’t too pushy.” He chuckled, taking a few steps forward to come a little closer and speak to his guest.

“It went fine…Thanks.” Asch showed some gratitude for the convenience. It was the least he could do for allowing him to clean up inside of his own house and to be given clothing while his clothes had to dry out.

“That’s great then.” Guy put his free hand on his hips, nostalgia suddenly taking him in as he recalled back to a faded memory. “You know, this reminds me of a time back when you were a kid and still lived in Duke Fabre’s manor. You snuck out of the manor again to go find the necklace Natalia lost. Turns out it had made its way all into the mines.” Guy laughed as he remembered how Asch came back to them. “Man, your parents were so mad about putting yourself in danger like that. Remember we had to give you a bath because you were covered in soot?”

Asch’s cheeks were almost as red as his former title’s namesake upon recalling the embarrassing story of his childhood. “I just wanted her to be happy. It was important to her, okay? She wouldn’t stop feeling bad about it.”

But there was little time to reminisce about the past, as a man brushed by Asch, causing him to flinch. He was dressed in a nice suit and had an air of nothing but politeness surrounding him. Guy immediately gave the man his full attention and sheathed his sword into the scabbard, the smile disappearing into a frown and one eyebrow raised as he awaited the report.

“What’s up?”

“Majesty Peony has requested the presence of Gailardia Galan Gardios and Asch the Bloody sir.” He reported.

“Is that so?” He threw a glance over at Asch, who seemed annoyed if anything else. “ I wonder if your little rescue back there caught the eye of the Emperor?” This was interesting, while the two of them were well acquainted, it was rare for Peony to specifically summon his presence like this out of the blue.

“I don’t like this.” Asch said, the hairs on his back bristling. How suspicious that they were to be gathered up so soon. Furthermore, the Emperor’s playful nature got under his nerves at times. At the same time, he couldn’t really refuse any orders from someone of his high station. Especially when he was essentially representing his own country out here.

“We should get going anyway Asch, we don’t want to keep him waiting. Maybe he just wanted to thank you for rescuing the kid earlier?” Guy theorized.

Asch scowled, this was far from what he had in mind for today, furthermore there was another issue to contend with before they could attend to the summons. “My clothes aren’t finished drying yet.” And he had no fantasies in mind about strolling into public view wearing nothing but a robe and a pair of thin shorts to cover himself.

“Don’t worry. You can just borrow some of mine. Don’t worry, they’re clean and I’ve never worn some of them. So they’re like brand new, right?” Guy replied with his ever so present optimism, offering a solution to prevent any outfit mishaps.

“We aren’t even the same size.” He replied back.

“Hey come on, I’m sure it’s close enough. Go on back in, we’ll be leaving soon. Can you help him find something, Orson?” He requested.

“Absolutely, Master Gailardia.” The servant walked back into the manor itself. “Come now inside, Mister Asch. I will show you something to wear.” He called out, waiting for Asch to follow him. But before that, he had something to say, curious about a certain address.

“And here I thought you long abandoned your old name.”

Guy chuckled, one hand going over to scratch the back of his head. “They insisted on using my full name, it’s not really something I can be bothered to argue about.”

“I see.” Asch sighed, slipping back into the manor, untying his ponytail as he disappeared back into the halls.

~~~

It did not take much time to pass before the two men arrived at the palace's doorstep as they were commanded to. Asch wore a dark formal suit, sharp and clean, with his red hair contrasting sharply against it. Guy chose his usual earthly colored ensemble instead. He knew Peony cared not for stiff formalites and as they were acquainted, he could get away with being a little cozier in how he dressed.

The soldiers guarding the front entrance allowed them passage inside, the two of them making their way into the throne room on their own and not speaking a word to each other. There was no need to after all, and neither wished to keep the Emperor waiting for any longer.

The Emperor was already seated in his chair, patient and awaiting them to come up close so they could speak personally. He appeared in good spirits today, allowing Guy to further relax as he could tell there was no grim news to bear.

“It’s nice to see you both again. And Asch you look so dashing in that suit! You didn’t have to dress up so fancy for little old me.” He greeted them with his usual bout of teasing.

“Good to see you too, Peony. I trust you’ve been holding up well?” Before Asch could talk, Guy chipped in with his usual cheerness.

“Oh I’ve felt better than ever now that things have finally settled down for a while. Finally things aren’t so frantic around here anymore. But enough about myself, that’s not what we are here for as you might expect.” His eyes went over to focus on Asch. “Asch, what brings you here to the Malkuth capital? Why are you here alone?”

Asch knew those questions were coming. He chose to answer them truthfully, having no reason to lie nor was he running against the clock that demanded him to be quick.

In other words, for the first time in forever, he did have all the time in the world to himself.

“... If you want to know, it’s because I’m trying to find myself. That’s why I’ve come.”

When he answered, Peony’s expression turned puzzled, fingers drumming on his chair arm. Seemingly thrown off by that answer coming out of such an assertive, forward person such as the former God General who acted with nothing but purpose in his path. Hard to believe he was lost now in his way.

“Huh, and you always seemed like the kind of person who knows what they were doing. But go on, tell me why you’ve chosen to embark on this quest. I promise I won’t judge, I just want to know.”

Asch gripped his hands into tight fists, the very thought of having to recall that man who took his place still fanning the leftover embers of resentment burning in his mind.

“... Ever since that replica was born, I’ve been replaced at Baticul. Even now, I don’t want to return back to my old life. I’m not Luke anymore, and I don’t want to go back. And I don’t want to return to the Order in Daath either because it was Van who installed me there. It’s not where I want to be anymore. I’m going to find a path that works for me by myself and I wanted to get as far away as I could from their influences for now.”

“So you’ve come here to find a new place for yourself...” Guy pondered aloud, his actions now making more sense in hindsight.

“Well that’s an interesting situation.” Peony said. “Have you found your place in the month you’ve been here?”

Asch fell silent, unable to give a sufficient response. Peony picked up on that though, rather quickly since the silence that stood unchallenged for several seconds told him more than enough. Unfortunately for Asch, he already had some ideas stewing inside his mind to help solve his issues.

“Since you don’t seem to have any ideas yet, why don’t you come work for me?” He spoke, his tone turning into a more lighthearted one.

The mere suggestion of that made Asch’s face turn into a look of disgust.

“I’m not going to be your servant!” He was done serving under someone as their pawn. But Peony shook his head in return.

“No no, this will be a more dignified approach. And Guy here,“ His eyes met with Guy’s gaze. “will help you out, won’t you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Guy replied quickly, glad to be able to pitch in.

“I’m not someone who serves for Malkuth.” Asch continued to protest against the ridiculous notion.

“Oh don’t worry about it. I have no grand schemes of using you as a political object or make you scrub the halls all day and night. Just think of it as a little something to do while you’re visiting Malkuth so you won’t get bored.” He smiled, offering some explanation. “Just consider trying it and see how you like it for a few days.”

“...Fine.” At last he finally gave in. He could just blow them off if this arrangement didn’t work that well.

“It’s settled then, I’ve already got some people moving your things into the Gardios Estate as we speak Asch, so you don’t even have to lift a finger.” That smile he wore turned into a cunning smirk towards the two of them, taking pleasure in their surprised reactions.

“You didn’t even wait for me to give permission, did you? Ugh!” Asch turned around with his back facing the Emperor, not a fan of his things being touched without permission.

“Now now, I’m just returning the favor for saving the life of one of my dear citizens, you don’t need to thank me. In fact, I offer my gratitude for your act of bravery. I know it’s nothing compared to the deeds you’ve done in the past, but you should still be recognized for it.” Peony may have been telling the truth, but his smirk said otherwise about his other intentions.

“I don’t need you to give me anything, I was just trying to do what was right.”

“Come on Asch, just let him do his thing. He’s trying to be nice, give him a break.” Guy pointed out.

“Right, I want you boys coming back here after you’ve eaten breakfast tomorrow, got it?” Peony crossed both arms and glanced over at Guy. “Otherwise I might have to send a pack of my gorgeous maids in after Guy. We wouldn’t want that, would we?”

“Your Majesty please!” Guy nervously chuckled, sweat building up at the back of his neck at the thought of something so enjoyable yet terrifying to him.

~~~

The sun had settled against the border of the sky as Guy and Asch exited the mansion and walked down the paved streets in order to return to the manor. It was silent for a while aside from the occasional Chokmah citizens and animals that passed them by. Then Guy spoke up after they’d crossed through a few blocks, turning a street corner to reveal the manor in their sights now.

“Hey Asch, I know this may not have been what you wanted, but we’ll have fun together alright? I promise you’ll like it back at the manor. I’ll even read you some stories for bedtime-“ He started to ramble off, speaking from his heart.

“Don’t treat me like I’m some child anymore.” Asch interjected, cutting off Guy’s words to stop him from continuing further. Really, bedtime stories? Asch was nearly twenty at this point.

“Alright, don’t worry. But still, it's nice to have you around. Things get pretty boring around here with just me and my servants hanging out in the manor.” He tried to lighten the mood again.

“And you don’t have any friends in the capital?” Asch didn’t seem as positive about the outlook.

”Well yeah but that’s not the point. It really does make me feel happy that you’re around.” Guy felt some exasperation setting in, forgetting just how guarded Asch was. It seems that being in stasis for so long did little to cool his anger.

“Why?”

“Because...” Guy let out a loud exhale, letting himself gather his thoughts as he recalled some past emotions, some of which he wasn’t proud to admit. “Most of the time when I was taking care of you- not Luke- I still had resentment towards the Fabre family, including you. I had these feelings clouding over everything when you still lived there. By the time I had moved past that, you were already switched with Luke.”

“You don’t have to say anything about it. I know you had your reasons.” Asch could all but understand the bitterness and hate that had probably consumed the other man whole at one point, he was the same way in many respects.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness. Rather, I just want to get to know you better. We both have had a hard life and I don’t want to shed any tears over it anymore. I just want to enjoy the connections I have now.” Guy said earnestly.

“Hmph, I don’t know if I can say I feel the same way. But you’re persistent.. and I can trust you. For now.”

“So you’ll stay in the manor, at least for a while?” Guy offered his hand out to him, patting his shoulder. It made his body feel warm inside to know Asch still felt that highly about him after all this time.

“Yeah...” Asch felt stiff from the close touch, but did not reject it. It felt...nostalgic in its own way. Like something comforting that had long been locked away.

“Thanks Asch.”

**Author's Note:**

> Special Thanks to Daffy for being a very helpful, encouraging beta reader for me!


End file.
